5 Killer Tips and Tricks for Gmail

Gmail made its debut in 2004 and soon put an end to rivals' domination with its unique, simple and free email service. In addition, it offered more storage space than its rival services. Ten years later, in 2014, Gmail is still one of the top email service providers in the world.

In the process of retaining the crown, Gmail has gone through some much-required changes over a period of time. The good thing about Gmail is it's easy to use interface but at the same time Gmail has some nuances that can be used in order to milk the full potential of its service. Here is a list of tips and trick compiled that can be used to make Gmail usage much more easier and faster.

Add 'Mark As Read' Button

Although 'Mark as Read' button is part of Gmail features, it is hidden in the pile of settings. In order to bring the most used and helpful button to the top of the inbox, here is what the user has to do:

Click the gear/cog/settings icon (top right) -> Select the 'Settings' sub-menu -> Click the 'Gmail Labs' tab -> Scroll down to 'Mark as Read' and enable it -> Do not forget to click 'Save' at the bottom. Now users can see the 'Mark as read' button on top of the Inbox view whenever an email is selected.

'Gmail Offline' Option

One of the most underutilized features of Gmail got to be "Gmail Offline" option. It is a Chrome extension that allows the user to read/view/search emails without connecting to Internet.

Navigate to gear/cog/settings icon (top right) -> Click the Settings sub-menu -> Click the "Offline" tab. If the Gmail Offline extension is not already installed, user may have to install first by clicking on the "Install Gmail Offline" option. It is worth noting that, it takes some time for the extension to synchronize and download all the emails. In addition, this extension will not eat up extra space on the hard drive.

Add 'Send And Archive' Button

In order to have a tidy inbox, 'Send and Archive' option should come handy. Upon clicking this button (after responding to an email), that particular email/conversation will be immediately moved from the inbox to a digital cabinet for archival. It is worth noting that, archiving is not deletion but only a location change. The archived messages/conversations can be found in the 'All Mail' tab on the left or even on the search bar.

Navigate to the gear/settings/cog icon (top right) -> Click the Settings sub-menu -> Under the General tab -> Look for the Send and Archive subsection -> And select "Show Send and Archive" button in reply.

Organize Mails Under Tabs

In order to group a set of emails to have an uncluttered and easy-to-use inbox, users need to utilize Gmail's 'Tabs' functionality. Basic tabs can already be seen on the top of the inbox. By default three tabs namely Primary, Social and Promotions appear on the Gmail. But users have the option of choosing two more tabs (at present) namely Updates and Forums; these two tabs are hidden under the plus button. Upon clicking the '+' button near the existing tabs, the other two tabs can be seen.

If a particular type of message needs to be part of a specific tab, users need to click and drag the mail to the appropriate tabs. Also, a message should appear asking if the user would like to send all messages to that selected tab.

Mass Unsubscribe Option

With promotional, marketing and unsolicited emails towering the inbox and eating the space out; it is only obvious that users would like to have a mass unsubscribe option. To get rid of such emails forever, there is an easy trick in Gmail.

Type "Unsubscribe" in the main search box of Gmail, and a list of emails will be listed. Users can "Select all' to remove the newsletters, discounts, and promotional emails from the inbox permanently.

The other way is to sign up for Unroll.me. Once the user signs up for this service, the unnecessary subscriptions can be removed and the necessary ones will still be delivered to the inbox, according to CNet.